Inuyashiki
Director: Shinsuke Sato
Year:
2018
Rating: 7.5
Just
when I have had my fill of superhero films and have refused to watch the
last few Marvel ones, along comes a superhero film that has heart and is
great fun. It is Japanese which takes it out of the sphere of American superhero
films and that is probably a good thing. Deadpool and Wolverine? Really?
We needed that? Oh, to think of all the wonderful combinations they can come
up with if they begin cross-fertilizing their characters. Let's have Black
Panther hook up with Ant-Man? Thor and Venom anyone? I am kind of done with
it, especially after they killed off Black Widow. This one is based on a
Manga of course from Hiroya Oku and it is directed by Shinsuke Sato who was
behind Princess Blade, Library Wars and Gantz. There has also been an anime
series and there were plans to make this into a trilogy but six years later
that seems unlikely. At the end of this one - if you watch through the end
credits - it seems to hint that there was to have been a sequel.
Mr. Inuyashiki (Noritake Kinashi) is a beaten
down salaryman badgered at work, henpecked at home by his wife and daughter
(Ayaka Miyoshi). He is by all accounts a loser. Nearing retirement, he begs
his boss not to fire him, at home his daughter shows nothing but contempt
for him. Only his dog that someone abandoned sticks with him. Then on top
of that his doctor tells him with a smile that he has cancer all over. Things
though are about to change for Mr. Inuyashiki. Out in the park one late night
with his dog, he sees a bright light and the next thing he knows it is morning,
but he seems ok. He wanders home and everything is the same. His daughter
yells at him, his wife scolds him, his son ignores him. But then in
his bedroom his face suddenly falls forward showing electronic circuitry
and equipment behind it, other metallic objects come out of his skin like
he is in a Tetsuo movie - he later discovers that he has the ability to cure
the incurable. This delights him and he rushes around the hospital saving
people. He is a good man. He says nothing to his family about this. He continues
to take their insults without a word.
But he wasn't alone in the park. A moody
teenager was there as well and he is not so good. He loves his mother, defends
his friend from being bullied - but there is a psycho in there and Hiro (Takeru
Satoh) begins killing random people by aiming with his finger and pulling
the mental trigger. Ooh this is fun. He learns later that he can kill
people in the same way through their mobile phone, computer and giant outdoor
TV screens. He goes on a murderous rampage of slaughter in Shinjuku. Inuyashiki
realizes it is up to him to stop him. But he is old and tired.
The special effects are not first class
but they are good enough as they both fly around Tokyo avoiding buildings.
What separates this from other superhero films is the underlying humanity
of it - his love for his family even though they treat him like shit. And
that he is old and was ready to die, but now can make his life worthwhile.
It is perhaps a generational theme - while the younger generation spends
its time playing video games, bullying others, not respecting their elders
- the older people in the film still believe in sacrifice, hard work, family.
